Intersolar 2009: My Photovoltaic Top 10 List

[Munich, Germany]

Photovoltaic power electronics are hot!

Clocking in with 1417 exhibitors covering 104000 square meters across nine halls and an outdoor area, I was competing with about 60000 visitors to capture my unfair share of Intersolar 2009 over three days at theNew Munich Trade Fair Centre. Given the massive size and my ongoing hiatus recovery, I could have used another day to investigate more stands. With that caveat, here are my subjective views of the best Intersolar 2009 had to offer mimicking the Late Show with David Letterman format.

A Picasa slideshow of the Photovoltaic Top 10 List is displayed at the end of the post.

SOLARFIX Pro is a German online photovoltaic portal for solar installers to order products for delivery in two days. SOLARFIX will buy direct from manufacturers in bulk and reduce end prices by bypassing mid tier distribution. SOLARFIX test accounts will begin June 8, 2009, although accounts are free anyway after registration.

Please see SolarMagic, Solar Magic (aka How does this device work?) for my coverage. OK, so I only attended two Intersolar press conferences. I got more questions answered at the other one, but I liked the historical element with National’s 50th anniversary and the Russell Ohl factor. After all, I was almost a history major.

The Fronius IG Central Inverter is composed of modular units that switch on as needed, load balance to increase energy yield, and, I suspect, maximize inverter life. The modules are easy to swap in case maintenance or repair is required. I wonder if this concept can be extended to 1 MW (MegaWatt) plus sized inverters?

4. Best Demo and Best SpokespersonThe SolarMagic outside demo and Ms. SolarMagic

The SolarMagic demo outside on the Intersolar 2009 Freigelände merits a separate post. In case you were wondering, SolarMagic is not the Best Spokesperson’s real last name.

Inventux claims X-Series MICROMORPH module production is centered at a stabilized 115W (Watts) moving to 120W (with 8.9% efficiency?) by July 2009. Here is the datasheet. Inventux said they had several 100-150 kW (kiloWatt) installations in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Italy. When I asked, they offered to arrange a tour of a private installation site near Munich. I wish I had the time.

In a rare moment of waffling, I decided to declare a tie between these two companies entering the PV power electronics space. Both companies have DC (Direct Current) MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) electronics at each module while also monitoring module level performance via powerline communications. SolarEdge plans to offer SolarEdge Fixed String Voltage inverters with their solution beginning with 3.3 kW and 5 kW models. By contrast, Tigo Energy has partnered with KACO new energy GmbH to integrate the Tigo Energy Management Unit into KACO inverters creating the complete KACO/Tigo Energy Maximizer solution.

GUNTHER Portfolio (Kindle Edition) is now available at Amazon.com for a whopping $0.99 monthly subscription price including a free 14 day trial. Does that even cover the cost of wireless delivery?